Forensic Ballistics Flashcards
A discipline of forensic science which has as its primary concern to determine if a bullet, cartridge case or other ammunition component was fired by a particular firearm” (AFTE Definition)
Firearms Identification
Two Governing or General Characteristics in Firearms Identification
Class characteristics
Individual characteristics
Those characteristics that are determinable prior to the manufacture of the firearms. These characteristics are the factory specifications and are with in the control of man and they serve as basis to identify a certain group or class of firearms.
Class characteristics
markings peculiar in a particular firearm and which are not found in all other firearms
➢ determinable only after the manufacture of the firearm
➢characteristics whose existence is beyond the control of the manufacturer and which have random distribution inside the gun.
Individual characteristics
Functions of Firearms Identification Division
Examines evidence firearms, fired bullets/cartridge cases, pellets, wads, bullet fragments, cartridge components and related specimen;
➢ Test fires evidence firearms to obtain standard bullets and cartridge cases;
➢ Test fires and stencil new firearms, firearm for licensing and renewal and juridical firearms;
➢Encodes fired bullets and cartridge cases into the Firearms Identification System known as ____;
➢ Conducts crime scene investigation;
➢Testifies in court as expert witness;
➢Provides Resource Speaker on firearms identification to police, military, government and non- government institutional trainings, seminars and similar activities; and
➢ Performs such other functions as may be directed by the Director, CL
IBIS
➢ Letter request for examination
➢ Physical examination of the evidence being referred to for examination
➢ Referral of the evidence to the concerned CL technical divisions
➢Retrieval of related lab reports
➢Encoding of the evidence fired bullets and fired cartridge cases at the IBIS
➢Turn–over of evidence to the Evidence Custodian for safekeeping
➢Release of laboratory report
➢ Test firing of the evidence firearm
➢ Microscopic examination of the evidence bullet/cartridge cases
➢ Preparation of worksheet and photographs
Procedure
Determination of the caliber, type and
Particular firearm
Evidence bullet/s
Determination of the caliber, type and particular
firearm
Evidence cartridge case/s
Determination whether functional/serviceable.
Determination whether any of the previously encoded bullets
and cartridge cases in the IBIS match with the recovered
guns
Suspected firearms
Determination whether the said bullets were fired from one and the same firearm and/or possibly identify the particular firearm
Two or more evidence bullets
Determination whether or not the said cartridge cases were fired from
one and the same firearm and/or possibly identify the particular firearm
Two or more evidence cartridge cases
Functionality tests
Ammunition
BASIC ISSUES IN FIREARMS IDENTIFICATION
Evidence bullet/s Evidence cartridge case/s Suspected firearms Two or more evidence bullets Two or more evidence cartridge cases Ammunition
EESTTA
Firearms:
Revolver
Pistol
Rifle
Ammunition Components:
Bullet
Cartridge Case
Other Specimens
Markings of evidence bullet
- bullet base
example: engraved marked “NAL
On the nose (if the base is badly damaged)
Never on the body
MARKING OF EVIDENCE CARTRIDGE CASE
Outside, Near Open Mouth
Inside, Near Open Mouth
Date
Markings for Bottle neck cartridge
Below the shoulder of the neck
MARKING A PISTOL
BARREL
SLIDE
FRAME OR RECEIVER
BSF
MARKING A REVOLVER
BARREL
CYLINDER
FRAME
EVIDENCE TAG
BCF
MARKING A RIFLE
BARREL
UPPER RECEIVER
LOWER RECEIVER
BOLT
EVIDENCE TAG
LABELING EVIDENCE
- Nature of Case
- TDPO
- Time and Date Collected
- Place where you collected the evidence (specific)
- Description of evidence
- Name of the IOC or Collector
Packaging Evidence
The investigating officer should exercise care and resourcefulness in securing wrapping or packaging materials that can be used to preserve physical evidences. He should always bear in mind the value of preserving the _______ of the evidences.
evidentiary value
Packaging
Ziplock
Small jar
Requirements for the release of firearms
Letter request for withdrawal or release of firearm from the concerned investigating unit /office.
●Court order or resolution from the Court/Prosecutor’s office, or;
●Certification from concerned investigating unit/office, attesting to the fact that there is no case filed or to be filed in court involving the subject firearm.
Letter request for withdrawal or release of firearm from the concerned investigating unit /office.
●Court order or resolution from the Court/Prosecutor’s office, or;
●Certification from concerned investigating unit/office, attesting to the fact that there is no case filed or to be filed in court involving the subject firearm.
Gun laws
PD 1866- June 29, 1983
•R.A. 8294-provisions of PD 1866, as amended, June 6, 1997
•RA 10591- known as Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, May 29, 2013
PD 1866
June 29, 1983
-provisions of PD 1866, as amended, June 6, 1997
R.A. 8294
- known as Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, May 29, 2013
•RA 10591
refers to any handheld or portable weapon, whether a small arms or light weapons that expels or is designed to expel a bullet, shot, slug, missile or any projectile, which is discharged by means of expansive force of gases from burning gunpowder or other form of combustion or any similar instrument or implement.
For purposes of this Act, the __________is considered a firearm
Firearm
barrel, frame or receiver
BFR
Classification of firearm
Small arms (SA) Light weapons (LW)
refer to firearms intended to be or primarily designed for individual use or that which is generally considered to mean a weapon intended to be fired from the hand or shoulder, which are not capable of fully automatic bursts of discharge
Small arms
Example of small arms
(Handguns, shotguns and rifles).
Light weapons which refer to self-loading pistols, rifles and carbines, submachine guns, assault rifles and light machine guns not exceeding caliber _______ which have fully automatic mode;
Class-A
7.62MM
Light weapons which refer to weapons designed for use by two (2) or more persons serving as a crew, or rifles and machine guns exceeding caliber 7.62MM such as heavy machine guns, handheld underbarrel and mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft guns, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti-tank missile and rocket systems, portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems, and mortars of a caliber of less than 100MM.
Class-B
Mandatory ballistics testing as a requirement for registration of firearms as cited in the IRR:
Sec. 6. - Ownership of Firearms by the National Government
➢Sec. 11.- Registration of Firearms Newly Purchased/Transfer/Juridical)
➢Sec. 15.- Registration of Locally Manufactured and Imported Firearms
➢Sec. 19.- Renewal of Licenses and Registration (both individual and Juridical/for firearms purchased prior to year 2010)
➢Sec. 43. - Final Amnesty
The penalty of prision correctional to prision mayor in its minimum period shall be imposed upon any person who shall tamper, obliterate or alter without authority the barrel, slide, frame, receiver, cylinder or bolt assembly, including the name of the maker, model, or serial number of any firearm, or who shall replace without authority the barrel, slide, frame, receiver, cylinder, or bolt assembly including its individual or peculiar identifying characteristics essential in forensic examination of a firearm or light weapon.
The PNP shall place this information, including its individual or peculiar identifying characteristics into the database of integrated firearms identification system of the PNP Crime Laboratory for future use and identification of a particular firearm.
Section 34. Tampering, Obliteration or Alteration of Firearms Identification.
TOA of FI
During the pendency of any case filed in violation of the law, seized firearm, ammunition or parts thereof, machinery, tools, instruments shall remain in the custody of the court. If the court decides that it has no adequate means to safely keep the same, the court shall issue an order to turn over to the PNP Crime Laboratory such firearm, ammunition or parts thereof, machinery, tools or instruments in its custody during the pendency of the case and to produce the same to the court when so ordered. No bond shall be admitted for the release of the firearm, ammunition or parts thereof, machinery, tool or instrument. Any violation of this paragraph shall be punishable by prision mayor in its minimum period to prision mayor in its medium period.
➢Section 36.Custodia Legis.
